<p>How do business school select candidates from thousands of candidates?</p>
<p>Your college resume of course.
Your GPA plays a HUGE role. Work experience is the other factor. If your GPA is substantially high, 3.5+, with internships (work experience), then your chances for grad school are good.
Then, I believe there is a test you take, just like pre-med majors and pre-law. Those play a role as well.
I may be missing other things, but these are the key things that are looked at.</p>
<p>@ zzyanzhichao</p>
<p>I would say work experience (does your resume show an upward trend of project and management roles?) has a stronger role in b-school admissions than your college GPA. GMAT score is also important. The higher the score, the better your chances of admission. Then college GPA and where you attended undergraduate.</p>
<p>tenisghs
Does my undergrad majors affect my chance of admission? What GPA range is usually considered competitive?</p>
<p>@ zzyanzhichao</p>
<p>B-school admissions do not care what you major in. They care strictly about what you do after college (full-time jobs, leadership roles, volunteer activities, etc.). There are humanities and social science majors in business school.</p>
<ol>
<li>Job experience</li>
<li>College resume </li>
<li>GMAT score</li>
</ol>
<p>Three biggest factors to get into a top business school.</p>
<p>The admin people won't ever come out and say it but the GMAT and College GPA have very little to do with admission. The 770 GMAT with and 4.0 Math major from Princeton has very little chance of admission at top 5 programs if their career wasn't extremely progressive and successful. If your GPA is low, your GMAT needs to be high and vice versa. The superstar Goldman Sachs Investment banker and Bain private Equity Analyst with weaker GMAT and GPA still have a better chance than the afore mentioned graduate. However A really bad GPA and really bad GMAT will keep even top candidates out. It's like they say, GMAT and GPA will not get you into B-School but they can keep you out! Best part about b-school is that the academic's with 4.0's who don't have developed social skills and business success will never get in. They can go to Medical or Law School.</p>
<p>"Best part about b-school is that the academic's with 4.0's who don't have developed social skills and business success will never get in."</p>
<p>Not sure what b-schools you are referring to, but Stanford GSB and HBS are widely known for admitting students with very high GPAs.</p>
<p>With all things relatively within range, the essays are by far the most important aspect of the application to the very top b-schools.</p>
<p>@marine1300
That sounds a little bit like undergrad admission where applicants who have good SAT or ACT scores won't secure their positions but without it they can hardly get in.</p>
<p>What are you all referring to when you say "college resume"? </p>
<p>I'm confused, because once you have several years of work experience after college (which you are going to have to have in order to have a decent shot at getting into a good business school), your resume will list detailed information about your work experience and only simple factual information about your education. Your grades and activities in college are what get you an excellent job after college. Unless you have a terrible undergraduate GPA, however, undergrad GPA and activities play a much more minor role in MBA admissions.</p>
<p>The average GPA at Harvard and Standford Business Schools is 3.6. That's not very high compared to the law schools which average 3.8-3.9. And many other top 15 Schools have an average GPA around 3.3. Lets not mix up cause and effect. It's not the 3.6 GPA or high GMAT's that are getting students in. It just so happens that the those with the most impressive work history probably worked hard in Undergrad as well and got at least decent grades( IE 3.6 and up). Campared to every other top Graduate degree, you'll see B School averages are definately lower.</p>
<p>That 4.0 and 770 GMAT is powerful.</p>
<p>4.0 & 770 GMAT is insane, my cousin had that and he got accepted to HBS.</p>
<p>I'm thoroughly amused as well. Marine1300, how long did you stay at Big 4 and what department?</p>
<p>Dawgie,</p>
<p>Still there. I've only worked in audit for 1 year but should be making the move to Transaction Advisory Services (M&A Financial Due Diligence type stuff) shortly. Long term I'm looking hard at some 1 year graduate programs in the UK and possibly banking at the associate level in London for a couple of years, we'll see. No comparison to a top 5 PWM at a BB and secretary at a MM PE but then again we can't all be superhero's. Whats your career field/future plans?</p>
<p>HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA</p>
<p>Starting Audit @ Deloitte next week, have interned a busy season there. Staying till atleast senior level+ assuming they treat me well and don't screw me on evals. Gotta pass my CPA quick and see where this takes me. I won't stay in the accounting industry or field, unless I know I can make it to partner or CFO. There is no point.</p>
<p>You sure that TS **** is even interesting? There are plenty of other advisory positions around. I'll be exploring when I get there.</p>
<p>"No comparison to a top 5 PWM at a BB and secretary at a MM PE" </p>
<p>I am sorry, but are you gonna tell me that doing PWM with Goldman isn't by far better than doing audit at a "big-4"? </p>
<p>And do you have a problem with secretaries?</p>
<p>i believe its:</p>
<ol>
<li>work experience (upward movement)</li>
<li>GMAT score</li>
<li>GPA</li>
</ol>
<p>^^^I would put the application essays (and potentially the interview) above your three. And change the order of the three depending on the specific school. But that works.</p>
<p>This was a good overview... Here is a good podcast from the admissions people at the Berkeley school of business: </p>